Although the number of youth crimes has dropped overall in Britain, girl crime has risen by a quarter since 2005, reports the Guardian. New research from the Youth Justice Board shows that the types of misdeeds most often committed are theft and petty violence. English psychiatrists are trying to figure out why these girls are so angry, and their conclusions leave me wanting. Dr. Ann Hagell, who co-authored a study about anti-social behavior in 1998, says you need to look at long term trends and not be swayed by tabloid headlines about "happy slapping." Hagell thinks girls are more violent these days because of the influence of teenage boys. "Before, we had single-sex peer groups, but now they are more likely to be socialising with boys. In the 1950s they just didn't have the chance to do that," Hagell tells the BBC.

Other possible causes for violent acting-out in teen girls include alienation, alcohol abuse, poor parenting, and early development (if you ask the Daily Mail, feminism is to to blame! Imagine that!). Those early blooming girls who become larger earlier "might then become the more vicious bullies because they have grown bigger and faster than their peers," the BBC posits. [What? whatever, dudes. -Ed.] The good news is that many of these girls are only one-time offenders, and some social scientists believe that the number of female offenders has risen merely because the number of girls, period, has risen. Though if you see Amy Winehouse outside the pub, you should probably back away as quickly as possible to avoid potential head butting.